Conventionally, there is well known wireless communication conducted between a control device of a vehicle and a portable machine locking or unlocking the vehicle or a control system that detects user's action (gesture) to control the unlocking. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-226222 discloses an in-vehicle instrument automatic control system in which an undesirable activation of an in-vehicle instrument is prevented to cut the power consumption. The automatic control system includes a portable machine that can be brought with a user, an in-vehicle unit that is mounted on the vehicle to be able to conduct communication with the portable machine, and a controller that controls an operation of the in-vehicle instrument mounted on the vehicle based on a communication result between the in-vehicle unit and the portable machine. The portable machine includes a button that issues a command to the in-vehicle unit to lock or unlock a door when a user is away from the vehicle. When the button is pressed, a command signal including an identification number is transmitted, and the in-vehicle unit receives the command signal. The controller permits performance of the locking or unlocking command when successfully authenticating the identification number included in the command signal.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-216182 discloses an electric motor-driven type door unlocking device in order to avoid a vehicle door from being undesirably unlocked by a contact of a human body with an unlock sensor or proximity of the human body to the unlock sensor during vehicle wash in which the door needs not to be unlocked. In the electric motor-driven type door unlocking device, when a selection signal is input from a selection unit that outputs the selection signal by a manipulation of the vehicle user, an electric motor-driven type unlocking power generation unit is activated according to unlocking intention detection of a push button while the unlocking intention detection performed by the unlock sensor is disabled. The push button detects the unlocking intention of the vehicle user according to a pressing manipulation performed by the vehicle user.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-030256 discloses a vehicle electric motor-driven opening and closing door device in which the operation is ensured to improve user-friendliness. The vehicle electric motor-driven opening and closing door device does not electrically opens and close the door while the user is not authenticated even when a contact detection unit issues a contact signal, but always waits for the user authentication. Therefore, when the user comes close to an area where the authentication can be performed, the user authentication is completed and the door can be opened and closed.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-007171 discloses a vehicle door automatic opening and closing device that can improve comfort for the user while cost increase is restrained. In the vehicle door automatic opening and closing device, an obstacle existing on an opening and closing locus of a swing door is successively detected by a laser radar, a predetermined gesture of the user is detected within a scanning range of a searching wave, and the opening and closing of the swing door or other vehicle doors are automatically started based on a detection result of the gesture.
International Patent Publication No. 2012-504716 also discloses an automatic unlocking device of a vehicle opening and closing panel. The automatic unlocking device optically recognizes predetermined action (gesture) of a part of a human body from a distant place, and an openable and closable panel in front of a place where the action is performed is locked or unlocked in the case that the action is recognized to be the action of a registrant. The action is recognized when a portable identification member is located within a predetermined surrounding range of the vehicle.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-117134 discloses an opening and closing control system of a rear opening and closing body that can control an opening operation of the rear opening and closing body without false detection while cost is reduced using an existing system. In the opening and closing control system, a detected body is arranged at a position that can visually be recognized by a camera while the rear opening and closing body is closed, the camera is controlled in receiving a signal transmitted from the portable machine, whether the opening operation of the rear opening and closing body is performed is determined based on an image of the position of the detected body imaged by the camera, and the opening operation is controlled.